Mark Slapinski - January 26, 2026


CTV Panelists SLAM Carney Over Affordability Concerns


Episode Stats

Length

10 minutes

Words per Minute

203.1087

Word Count

2,143

Sentence Count

128

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary

What are the political implications of Trump's latest threat, particularly ahead of the return of the House of Commons tomorrow? Here to weigh in is our Sunday strategy session with Kathleen Monk, James Moore, and Scott Reid, former communications director to Prime Minister Paul Martin.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 People are worried about the same thing they were worried about last year and the year before, a lack of affordability.
00:00:05.860 Carney is in big trouble because his puppets at CTV randomly decided to turn on him and ask the million-dollar question,
00:00:13.020 does Carney have a plan to deal with the affordability crisis?
00:00:16.580 And you can guess what the answer to that question was.
00:00:19.040 Now, the segment starts off with CTV doing what it normally does and giving undue praise to the prime minister.
00:00:25.180 Listen to this.
00:00:25.800 What are the political implications of Trump's latest threat, particularly ahead of the return of the House of Commons tomorrow?
00:00:32.200 Here to weigh in is our Sunday strategy session.
00:00:34.820 Kathleen Monk is former director of communications to the late Jack Layton.
00:00:38.540 James Moore is a former conservative cabinet minister.
00:00:41.400 And Scott Reid is former communications director to Prime Minister Paul Martin.
00:00:45.120 Hi, everybody.
00:00:46.120 Good to see you on this Sunday.
00:00:47.300 I appreciate you making the time.
00:00:48.540 Scott, I'll start with you.
00:00:50.360 The prime minister stopped to talk to reporters today, didn't engage too much on any communications with Trump,
00:00:55.240 just kind of downplayed actually how significant whatever happened with China was.
00:01:00.720 What does that tell you?
00:01:02.020 And how big of a deal do you think this is politically for him?
00:01:06.400 Well, it's significant.
00:01:07.800 But I liked I thought the prime minister's tone was bang on inappropriate because Donald Trump is a presidential equivalent of a metal spoon in the microwave these days.
00:01:20.440 He's sparking and lighting up all over the place.
00:01:22.580 It's not just Canada.
00:01:23.840 He unloaded 70 true social postings.
00:01:26.940 So he's lashing out at everyone.
00:01:28.340 We have to take serious his posting and his suggestion that he may oppose a 100 percent across-the-board terrorist.
00:01:35.940 But I'm not sure that it is a serious threat.
00:01:38.300 And in that context, taking a bit at a time, pointing out that Canada is not negotiating a free trade agreement with China, as Minister LeBlanc did,
00:01:46.400 pointing out, as the prime minister did, that there would be severe downsides to Donald Trump actually taking that kind of action.
00:01:52.820 Imagine the increase in the price of gas at the pump for Americans.
00:01:58.540 So taking a breath, not panicking, just being steady and sensible seems to me to be the right play at this moment,
00:02:06.780 particularly as you look at the broader context with how Donald Trump is conducting himself,
00:02:11.620 the isolation he's experiencing internationally, and the divisions he's provoking domestically.
00:02:15.840 Yeah, it's interesting because on the face of it, when you see a threat like that from a U.S. President, James, to Scott's point,
00:02:23.620 you have to take it seriously.
00:02:24.640 At the same time, we're just a few months, you know, a few weeks out from the last tariff threat of an additional 10 percent that Trump levied against us,
00:02:31.960 which was supposed to come because of that Ronald Reagan ad and then was, like, never spoken of again.
00:02:37.220 An important point that you just made.
00:02:39.200 Donald Trump has threatened three times more tariffs than he's actually ever imposed.
00:02:42.740 So the keep calm, carry on prose of the prime minister is the appropriate response.
00:02:48.680 You know, you can't react to everything Donald Trump says and does, but you do have to respond as a nation.
00:02:55.280 And the prime minister obviously had a very good moment in Davos to the point where you have Pierre Polyev for the first time,
00:03:00.740 I think, ever praising a sitting liberal prime minister because Pierre Polyev recognizes the moment
00:03:05.680 and the prime minister seems to recognize the moment coming out of his cabinet retreat,
00:03:09.540 that it's time to pivot and move forward and not be, you know, be disappointed, be internally angry, be publicly stoic.
00:03:16.760 And then when parliament comes back and as we move forward, there's never been a bigger barn door open for the prime minister of this country
00:03:22.660 with a union of solidarity behind him that is nonpartisan to go forward and do big things and be significant about that.
00:03:31.100 You know, the Super Bowl is around the corner a couple of weeks away.
00:03:33.480 We're supposed to have these sort of installments of major projects across the country.
00:03:37.200 There's a moment here for the prime minister to do something really significant and show Canadians that we are united
00:03:42.260 and we're doing big things as a country.
00:03:44.920 You know, it will be a really interesting, it feels like Kathleen returned to parliament tomorrow
00:03:49.580 for exactly the reason that James lays out.
00:03:52.020 The opportunity for the government is massive.
00:03:54.740 And to the point about Pierre Polyev, like, there's a ton of rhetoric from the opposition,
00:03:59.420 including the conservatives actually at this moment, about advancing those priorities together,
00:04:04.600 which is not something, to be honest, that, like, on any side, you normally hear ahead of a return to parliament,
00:04:10.960 like, at least not in the last little while.
00:04:12.980 And it speaks to the change in tone and what's needed, right?
00:04:16.160 And that tone shift for the conservatives is remarkable, that they're willing to cooperate,
00:04:20.520 possibly do joint negotiations with the U.S.
00:04:22.960 But what I found interesting from this morning and the prime minister was really the pushback that he got from one journalist.
00:04:28.760 He got basically one question put to him this morning, and it was,
00:04:31.360 how do you mortgage Canadians' affordability because you've angered Trump?
00:04:35.720 And bringing it back to those key issues that Canadians care about, about, like, how people are struggling day to day.
00:04:41.340 And Wob Canoo said it best in your last interview, which was just like,
00:04:45.180 he's got to do all the things at all the time, Prime Minister Carney.
00:04:47.960 He's got to deal with the affordability threats, the political threats,
00:04:50.900 and the electoral instability that the minority is, and then also deal with the geopolitical stuff.
00:04:56.720 But I think what was fascinating is that he did say this morning, the prime minister,
00:05:00.980 that there would be some affordability measures coming soon.
00:05:04.140 So what are they? Are they on the agenda?
00:05:06.060 How does he deal with the conservatives' pushback on affordability, immigration, crime?
00:05:10.020 Can he solve those political challenges so if there is an election,
00:05:13.600 the liberals are poised to do better or at least answer that big question of affordability on the problem?
00:05:18.300 We've seen them cut taxes in the past. Will they do more in the future?
00:05:21.200 And here's the part where Vashley decides to break ranks of the liberals and ask the million-dollar question.
00:05:26.180 Now, before I show you this, I want to remind you I'm being heavily censored on YouTube.
00:05:29.640 If you see this part of the video, let me know in the comment section.
00:05:32.820 Give me a like. Make sure you're still subscribed.
00:05:35.580 And as a bonus, let me know what city you're coming from.
00:05:37.900 I always like to know where people are coming from.
00:05:40.360 All right. Let's watch Vashley do her back.
00:05:42.980 Yeah. To what degree, Scott, do you think there needs to be like something tangible on that front?
00:05:48.140 I know we're all consumed at this sort of esoteric level with everything going on with the United States
00:05:52.280 and moral clarity and all those things.
00:05:54.440 But like people are worried about the same thing they were worried about last year and the year before,
00:05:59.740 a lack of affordability.
00:06:00.840 I'm not sure now is the exact moment where we need to just, you know, stencil a check and send it to every household.
00:06:07.240 I don't know that that's the appropriate response.
00:06:09.260 I think giving voice to the concerns that people have, making certain that Canadians don't watch the prime minister,
00:06:15.960 see how he's involved in these discussions, both internationally and across the border with Donald Trump,
00:06:21.420 and worry that maybe the prime minister and the government have forgotten about the daily struggles that people are experiencing.
00:06:26.740 Scott Reid just said it right there.
00:06:28.360 He was gentle with his words.
00:06:29.860 He was careful with his words.
00:06:31.640 However, I don't get paid by CTV.
00:06:33.460 I don't get paid by the liberals.
00:06:34.960 So I can say things a little bit more directly than he can.
00:06:38.360 Carney has been so busy globetrotting and virtue signaling
00:06:41.400 that he's forgotten that Canadians have very real issues in Canada.
00:06:45.560 The liberals don't have a plan to deal with the affordability crisis.
00:06:48.580 And even if they say they do, it's definitely not a very good one.
00:06:52.780 Carney's not too big on affordability.
00:06:54.900 That's his weakness.
00:06:56.300 That's his kryptonite.
00:06:57.860 And conservatives with Polyev, they dominate in that area.
00:07:01.020 The only thing keeping the liberals alive right now is Trump.
00:07:04.340 That was their main selling point for their last election.
00:07:06.880 And unfortunately, it worked quite well for them.
00:07:09.160 However, once Canadians realize that Carney is not living up to the expectations he set in dealing with Trump,
00:07:14.260 and that her economy is getting worse and not better,
00:07:16.540 they're going to start turning on the liberals.
00:07:18.720 And that's when the conservatives are going to win.
00:07:20.800 You've got to make certain that you connect all of this instability that stems from Trump
00:07:24.840 with the challenges that people are feeling and with your policy remedies.
00:07:28.900 But I don't know that they need to do something in the immediate term, again, in a panicky way.
00:07:33.200 And that really is not the recipe the prime minister tends to follow.
00:07:37.740 I think more important than anything, we shouldn't underestimate the connection that Canadians themselves make
00:07:44.300 between Donald Trump's erraticism and their own economic situation.
00:07:49.080 I do think Canadians lay this at the feet of Donald Trump.
00:07:53.140 And that's why it was smart of Pierre Polyev to ignore all those conservatives who are jamming the pages of the National Post
00:07:59.800 with numbskull commentary, trying to align themselves and, you know, say, ah, you know, actually, Trump's right.
00:08:05.160 That is not the play that Pierre Polyev supported.
00:08:07.620 He knows that that is electoral disaster.
00:08:10.520 And instead saying we've got to chart a similar course.
00:08:14.440 I've got 30 seconds left for both—30 seconds for James and 30 seconds for Kathleen.
00:08:18.760 James, what do you think about that?
00:08:20.500 I think that's exactly right.
00:08:21.960 One of the reasons Donald Trump's domestic support is cratering is because he's talking about golden domes and Greenland and Nobel Prizes.
00:08:28.980 The prime minister of this country and Pierre Polyev, who aspires to be the prime minister of this country,
00:08:33.180 needs to focus on the things that Canadians care about and not get sidetracked.
00:08:36.980 The difference between us and the United States is that the cost of living crisis, if you're an autoworker,
00:08:41.240 Donald Trump is your cost of living crisis because he's threatening your job.
00:08:44.420 So these two things are not actually mutually exclusive.
00:08:46.760 They're combined.
00:08:47.360 If you farm canola on the prairies, access to that Chinese market is a job issue and it is a cost of living issue.
00:08:54.560 So focus on the horizon.
00:08:56.600 Keep selling products to the world.
00:08:58.240 Don't get bullied by Donald Trump and Canada first.
00:09:00.800 That should be the ethos for everybody.
00:09:03.480 I'll crystallize it in one line.
00:09:05.380 Americans are watching as President Trump chooses to kidnap and kill his own citizens as opposed to lowering prices.
00:09:11.420 Canadians are watching that in horror and want our government to chart a new path and a new way forward.
00:09:17.540 It's funny how the CTV panel is saying exactly what I've been saying.
00:09:21.320 Polyev is playing the game like a true chess master because the best move he can make right now is to separate himself from Donald Trump.
00:09:27.900 Aligning himself with Donald Trump would be political suicide.
00:09:30.400 And I applied Polyev for doing the right thing and not listening to the more radical elements of his base.
00:09:36.420 Canadians deserve a more efficient government.
00:09:38.700 They deserve lower income taxes, immigration reform.
00:09:42.100 And those are all things that Polyev can deliver on.
00:09:44.540 And when I say immigration reform, I don't mean what Donald Trump is doing in the United States.
00:09:48.940 The whole world, including myself, was rightfully horrified when they saw an ICU nurse being shot in broad daylight.
00:09:57.020 And if you don't think that's what happened, I encourage you to watch the video in slow motion.
00:10:01.940 Don't listen to other people's interpretations because they're lying, they're gaslighting.
00:10:05.580 Just watch the video and see what happened to yourself.
00:10:08.080 Trump is really on a collision course.
00:10:09.920 And if he keeps up this bad behavior, he's all but guaranteed to lose the midterms.
00:10:13.780 Now, I understand a lot of my followers, they're on Team Trump.
00:10:16.600 However, I'm not on Team Trump.
00:10:18.040 I'm on Team Canada and Team Polyev.
00:10:21.000 I still have faith that Polyev is going to win and her country is going to get back on track.
00:10:25.260 It's just going to take a little bit more time than I previously thought.
00:10:28.380 So just hang in there.
00:10:29.720 Have some faith.
00:10:30.700 We're going to win.
00:10:31.820 Talk to you soon, Patriots.